The Competition

By: Cecily Wolfe

Narrated by: Alexandra Johnston

A 2019 choice for In the Margins National Book Award Recommended Fiction list.

Some students will do anything to win, but others may pay the price.

For Mary Sofia, the Penultimate writing competition is more than a chance at a free college education; she wants to show her younger siblings that they can all rise above their violent family history. For Raiden, the pressure to succeed comes from within, although he knows that family traditions play a part in his determination. For Camara, writing fiction is almost compulsive, but her own dark secret may be the best story she can ever tell. For Michael, swimming and writing fit his introverted personality perfectly, but meeting a smart and beautiful girl at the Penultimate makes stepping outside of his comfort zone easy. All four will compete against each other along with 96 other high school juniors for the chance of a lifetime: a full scholarship to a prestigious private college. Some students will do anything to win, but others may pay the price.

©2018 Cecily Wolfe (P)2020 Cecily Wolfe

The Competition

Wow. This book really captures all the feels and emotions of this group of young adults at a writing competition. This book just like all of Cecily Wolfe's books are so relatable. I love that this book takes me back to an experience that could have been from my own life. It doesn't end in a normal HEA, but the ending was so satisfying. The narrator did a great job bringing me into the story as well.

Worth a listen

The summary of the book mentions 4 characters however the book contains considerable information about several other characters. At first, I was having a hard time keeping each person straight. It was a slow start for me. After I was into it, I really liked the story. The idea of the writing competition and diversity of the participants really drawn me in. I liked how she explained the writing prompt and what most characters wrote about the prompt for each part of the competition. The characters each had very different backgrounds and stories to tell. The reason they each wanted to win was compelling and it was hard to decide who to root for. I was not expecting the end. I was hoping for a little more of an epilogue.

Alexandra Johnston did a great job narrating the story. The words were crisp and easy to understand.

I received this audio book for free for an honest review.

Great book

Slow start but booked picked up and it captured my attention to the ends. I finished it in one sitting. The narrator did an amazing job.

2 thumbs up 👍

this book was really good. I think lots of people can relate to it. there drama between each cheater
each person has a sad background that has to do with family. this is a must read.

Great story

This is a cute story full of excitement, a competitive spirit, betrayal, and triumph. It was a bit hard to keep up with the changes between the characters, but over all, I really enjoyed it.